


Through Thick and Thin

by KateBuck99034



Category: Big Hero 6 (2014)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, valentines day
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-09
Updated: 2019-05-16
Packaged: 2019-10-25 04:50:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17718374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KateBuck99034/pseuds/KateBuck99034
Summary: Tadashi wants to put together the perfect Valentine’s Day dinner but when he wakes up feeling sicker than a dog he tries to put it off for the sake of making everything perfect.





	1. Valentine Fever

When Tadashi woke up he was not expecting a headache that made his skull feel like it was being split open and torn in half followed by an extremely sore throat that made it difficult to swallow without a burning sensation following behind that made his eyes water and he groaned burying his face inside his pillow cursing as to why he had to get sick today of all days. Today was Valentine’s Day and he had been wanting to make everything perfect for his secret lover Professor Robert Callaghan who he had been dating for the past few months and the last thing he needed ruining today was some cold that was no doubt bound to turn into something worse if he didn’t take it easy.

With a wince from his aching bones, Tadashi slowly rose from his bed shutting his eyes tightly and taking deep breaths to try and make the room stop spinning around him and once it did he got to his feet and got dressed in a simple dark blue sweater and some jeans as it was supposed to be rather chilly and a bit rainy today as well, not very romantic weather if you asked him but you can’t exactly control mother nature. Once he successfully made it downstairs to the living room he saw his younger brother Hiro sitting at the table eating a sandwich as he had the toolbox from the garage sitting next to him while he was tinkering away on one of his robots that he used for Bot Fighting making Tadashi let out a huff of slight annoyance but he wouldn’t argue, not today.

Hiro must have noticed him from the corner of his eye as he quickly made an attempt at hiding the small battle bot as he smiled sheepishly but Tadashi simply walked past ruffling his hair before making his way into the kitchen pretending that he had not seen the robot and reminding himself that he could alway lecture Hiro another time about using those spare parts he had to build something productive rather than waste them building something for an illegal activity. Once in the kitchen, he managed to find the recipe book that his mother had given their aunt for her birthday shortly after she had opened up her very own cafe and he opened it skimming through the pages looking for something simple but with a touch of elegance. 

There were pastas, hot wings, brownies, cakes, cupcakes, pretty much everything Tadashi saw made him want to throw up but he swallowed back the feeling thanking god when he felt his stomach settling and he decided to make a pasta for the dinner and a cake for the desert. Not noticing Hiro hovering next to him, Tadashi suddenly whipped around only to end up elbowing his poor little brother straight in the face causing the 14 year old to reel back clutching his nose. The older brother gasped as he quickly grabbed a rag nearby and kneeled in front of his brother moving his hands as he saw dark red blood running down towards his lips and once again he felt a wave of nausea hit him but once again he managed to swallow it back down as he pressed the rag to his little brother’s nose.

“ dude what the heck is with you today? Your stumbling like your suffering from a hangover, you didn’t answer me when i said your name like 5 times, and you look like your one inch from death’s doorstep. “, Hiro said as he scowled a bit clutching the rag to his nose, not appreciating the hit he took from his older brother and Tadashi sighed.“ i’m just not feeling very well today….”, he said wincing when he felt his throat seering in a burning pain as his voice came out horse and strained and he saw the scowl that decorated hiro’s face quickly disappear as it was replaced with slight worry and he could already tell that the boy was thinking of getting their aunt to tell her that Tadashi wasn’t feeling well and that was the last thing he needed.

“ please Hiro, don’t tell aunt Cass that i’m sick…..i want this day to be perfect for Ro-professor Callaghan and i don’t want them finding out that i’m sick “, Tadashi pleaded quickly correcting himself from using Callaghan’s first name and he saw that Hiro seemed to be thinking about it and he finally heard his brother sigh as he rolled his eyes. “ fine, i won’t tell….but if you start getting any worse i’m gonna! “, he said before walking off, grabbing his robot from the table as he went to lay down on the sofa so he could take care of his blood gushing nose. Tadashi sighed in relief as he went back into the kitchen and started cooking and once he started on the pasta and had the cake in the oven he sat down resting his head in his arms as he slowly felt himself drift off to sleep. 

After what felt like a few minutes Tadashi was startled awake by the horrible smell of burning food and he quickly rushed over opening the oven door causing smoke to come pouring at and he waved it away from him coughing as he quickly took the burnt desert out of the oven and he took the now charred pasta off the stove top as he set them aside as he looked at the ruined dishes and he felt hot tears beginning to form in the corners of his eyes and what was worse he saw Callaghan himself walk over carrying a bouquet of lilacs and he stopped when he saw the burnt food but his gaze quickly settled onto Tadashi’s shaking form and he quickly rushed over when the young man began to topple as he caught him in his arms and Tadashi heard multiple voices at once as his vision began to fade to black before he felt himself pass out all together.

When Tadashi came to, he saw that he was back in his bed as the blankets were draped over him as the lamp was on set to dim as to not blind him and he felt a cold cloth press against his forehead and he saw Callaghan sitting next to him as he gently wiped the sweat that beaded on Tadashi’s forehead and he saw the man give him a warm smile of relief when he saw that he was now awake. “ you almost gave me a heart attack for a minute…..”, he said quietly leaning down to kiss his damp forehead and Tadashi felt the tears from earlier begin to return as he looked away trying not to let his lover see him like this. It was already embarrassing enough that he saw Tadashi’s poor excuse of a dinner and desert and now here he was taking care of him but he felt Callaghan sit him up as he pulled him into his arms as he rubbed his back in a soothing manner and Tadashi felt himself starting to calm down. 

He then saw Callaghan stand as he went over to the other side of the bed removing his shoes as he laid down next to Tadashi pulling him close and Tadashi smiled as he once again felt the energy leaving his body as exhaustion began to envelope him and he closed his eyes smiling as he curled up against Callaghan who simply laid there running his hand through his hair and the man saw Hiro quietly poke his head in and he nodded to the teen muttering a ‘ thank you ‘ and Hiro smiled giving him a thumbs up before heading back downstairs to let their aunt know that Tadashi was being well taken care of.

As Callaghan reached over to turn off the light, his gaze shifted down to a dark velvet red box and he opened it revealing a beautiful silver ring with a blue circle in the center of it and i let out a sigh before he flicked the switch on the lamp and settled down next to Tadashi. Next time he may be strong enough to ask the question…...maybe.


	2. Snowflake Kisses

Tadashi had been cooped up in his lab ever since 6 that morning as he had been busy working on the blue prints to his latest invention which was a personal healthcare robot that people would be able to keep inside they’re own homes in case there was a medical emergency and they weren’t able to get to the hospital. The idea had come to him one day when Hiro had come home from a bot fight with a broken wrist and covered in cuts and bruises and the sight of his little brother hurt so badly had nearly been enough to give him a heart attack.

Hiro was too scared to go to the hospital worried about Aunt Cass finding out saying that she was too busy with other things than worrying about his injuries so Tadashi gave in and did what he could with bandaging his brother up but the broken wrist they had to make up a lie about him tripping and falling down the steps and had their aunt not been half asleep that morning she wouldn’t have believed them but since she was she just told Hiro to be more careful in the future.

More injuries followed and Tadashi couldn’t keep affording to drive Hiro all the way to the hospital, for one he couldn’t keep wasting gas, and for two he didn’t want the people at the hospital thinking Hiro was being abused and telling them what they were really from would just get them both into trouble, Hiro for taking part in an illegal activity and Tadashi for allowing it, even though he far from allowed it. That’s when his healthcare companion idea sprung into his head.

 

It had taken weeks to come up with the design and winter quickly came as snow began blanketing the bustling city. Some people would be curled up indoors to keep out of the cold and parents would be dragged to the parks by their children as they carried sleds or skates to take part in activities. And there was Tadashi, burrowed in his lab heater on full blast to keep him warm as he typed away on his laptop not hearing the lab doors open until he felt a familiar grip on his shoulders as the hands started rubbing them causing a small smile to form on his lips. “ i appreciate the shoulder rub. “, he said with a small chuckle.

Callaghan smiled as he leaned down kissing his cheek and after some coaxing Tadashi gave in and the two left the lab deciding to go get some lunch together since it was already noon and Tadashi did have to admit he was feeling a tad bit hungry having only eaten a couple pastries from his aunt’s cafe and thankfully the two had nothing to worry about because Tadashi just so happened to be Callaghan’s star student so many of the teachers believed that they were just going out to lunch together to discuss upcoming projects or to grade papers together rather than it being anything else.

After walking for a bit they found a smallish Thai restaurant and decided to eat there and during their meal Tadashi excused himself to go use the bathroom and Callaghan simply nodded watching him walk off for a bit before sighing as he reached into his coat pocket taking out a dark red velvet box opening it revealing a silver ring with a glowing blue circle in the middle of it. He had designed these rings himself as he knew IF Tadashi did accept his proposal Callaghan figured the two would be so busy with their work if they needed to contact each other it may be hard to do it by phone which was why he had installed a holographic communicator in the center so they would be able to walk around and talk without having to worry about using phones.

 

He then quickly placed the box back into his pocket when he saw Tadashi making his way back over to their table and the two finished their meal before paying and heading back to the college since Tadashi needed to get back to work on his project and Callaghan had a couple of board meetings to attend to before his next class started. That evening Tadashi was at home as he stood in front of the mirror looking at his Yukata that belonged to his father before he passed away and since he thought it would be nice to wear it for the festival his aunt had gotten it for him from the closet making sure to tell him to be careful with it. “ TADASHI HURRY UP! IF I MISS THE CANDY FLOSS I’M GONNA BEAT YOU INTO THE POND! “, He heard Hiro yell from downstairs and he shook his head chuckling.

Hiro had a thing for candy floss, one could even say he loved it almost as much as gummy bears and getting some from the festival had been sort of a tradition for them. he still remembered how one year when Hiro was still little he had thrown a huge fit because the last candy floss had been bought by Tadashi and seeing his little brother so upset he decided to give it to him and got himself some Heaven’s Breath instead and the two sat down taking turns blowing smoke into each other’s faces. This year Tadashi had invited Callaghan and found out he had a nephew so Hiro wouldn’t be wandering around alone and could play some of the games with him while the two spent some time together.

After getting some money from their aunt they headed to the festival together and shortly after arriving they met up with Callaghan and his nephew and they watched as he and Hiro took off for the games and treats no doubt leaving the two alone which unbeknownst to Tadashi is exactly what Callaghan had wanted. The two managed to slip away and they found a spot away from the large mass of people and Tadashi smiled as he leaned over resting his head on the older man’s shoulder taking his hand and he looked at him when he heard Callaghan let out a shaky breath making him slightly worried.

“ Tadashi…..i know we’ve been together for quite a few months….and i don’t want you to think i'm moving too fast but i do understand if you want to wait longer but….”, Callaghan sighed as he got down on one knee in front of the young man and he looked up seeing his eyes wide as his cheeks were burning bright red as tears slowly trickled down his cheeks as he stared in shock watching as Callaghan slowly pulled out the ring box holding it up to him and he saw a smile form on Tadashi’s lips as he suddenly threw himself at Callaghan hugging him tightly and he smiled wrapping his arms around him as well. “ soooo i’ll take that as a yes? “, Callaghan asked and Tadashi chuckled before kissing him as the fireworks for the festival went off behind them as the two embraced lost in only each other not caring who saw.

Meanwhile Hiro and Callaghan’s nephew were watching as they fistbumped while sharing some candy floss.


	3. The Accident

A few weeks had passed since the news of Callaghan proposing to Tadashi and everyone was happy for the two including Tadashi and Hiro’s aunt Cass who’s first question that came out of her mouth was asking them when they were thinking of adoption which made Callaghan nearly choke on the Chamomile tea had had been drink and Tadashi’s face became redder than a tomato but of course Hiro got a kick out of the question and over the next few days he kept joking around with Tadashi about it.

However, a couple days later during one very cold afternoon Tadashi had been driving down to the home of one of his aunt’s friends who was more than happy to make a matching wedding outfit for him and Callaghan and seeing as it was such a big occasion as there weren’t many same sex weddings anymore, she offered to do it free of charge only asking if she could attend to see her creations shown off which both he and Callaghan were fine with. 

Hiro was currently in the passenger seat next to him as he was watching a video on his phone and Tadashi smiled a bit as he reached over and ruffled his brother’s hair causing the teen to look up at him but Tadashi had already gone back to focusing on the road and they soon reached a four way intersection as they were waiting for the light to turn green.

once it did Tadashi had begun pulling out when suddenly both brother’s heard a car horn constantly honking and as time slowed around the two Tadashi’s parental instincts kicked in as he grabbed Hiro using his own body to shield his little brother from the impact and the two felt the car start flipping as the glass from the windshield flew at them and as both brother’s dangled there upside down in their seats Tadashi could hear distant yelling as well as footsteps and a siren not too far off before he blacked out.

 

Callaghan was in a board meeting when he heard his phone start vibrating since he had simply put it on silence and he saw that it wasn’t Tadashi’s name on the screen but Cass’s so with a quiet “ excuse me “ he made his way out of the room and answered the phone but when he did his whole world slowed to a halt as Cass told him what had happened and without another thought he was out the doors.

Cass had been at the cafe making some pastries when she had gotten a call from the city hospital which confused her at first as she tried to remember if she knew anyone that was in the hospital but no one crossed her mind so after wiping off her hands she answered the phone and the desk worker on the other end explained to her what had happened and she thanked him before quickly grabbing her purse and keys not bothering to lock the cafe as she raced to the hospital making sure to call Callaghan on the way.

The two arrived at the hospital and quickly rushed over as Cass explained who they were, their relations, and who they were here to see and the nurse told them to take a seat in the waiting room and that she would go back and get the information they needed on Hiro and Tadashi’s condition and they did go over to the chairs sitting down in them as they waited and after what felt like hours but was only a short while they saw the nurse walk over. “ i got information on both of them and the younger one Hiro seems to be fine a few fractured ribs and a slight concussion most likely from the airbag…..his brother…”, the nurse paused as if trying to find the right way to explain Tadashi’s condition to them in the easiest way possible. 

 

 

“ his brother has a few broken ribs and some cuts from the glass from the windshield but…..we’re guessing he had shielded Hiro from the impact because his spine was….very badly damaged...i’m afraid the doctors are still deciding whether or not they’ll be able to do anything to fix it….”, she said softly and Cass and Callaghan thanked him before she walked off to go deliver the information and Callaghan leaned back in the chair closing his eyes while Cass hunched over clasping her hands together as she shut her eyes tightly praying to whatever god there was to make sure her nephews were going to be ok.

A few hours passed and Callaghan opened his eyes as he sat up a bit stretching as he noticed it was now much darker outside and he guessed he had zoned out after closing his eyes as he had tried processing the news he had just been given. his lover who he was going to marry in less than a few months, could very well be wheelchair bound for the rest of his life and just as he stood up he saw a woman walk over to him with a remorseful look on her face that silently said “ i was the cause of this “ and she stammered as she tried to find the right words. “ mister i am…..i’m so so sorry i-i tried so hard to slam on the brakes but the road was just so icy and i saw the truck i did i wanted to swerve out of the way but i just….i just froze….”, she rambled on and Callaghan simply put a hand on her shoulder as he smiled a bit.

He knew that throwing blame to this woman wasn’t going to do anything, it wasn’t going to reverse time and stop the crash from happening nor was it going to make the injuries that Hiro and Tadashi sustained vanish into thin air. “ it's fine…...the roads were dangerous it could have happened to anyone….but...i’m not the one you should apologize to. “, he told the woman and she nodded and after getting some permission the two made their way down the halls and they first found Hiro’s room and they checked in with him to see how he was holding up and Callaghan left the woman so she could apologize to him and he saw Cass come out of a room a couple doors down looking heart broken.  
Callaghan walked over to her and she looked at him saying nothing before looking down as she walked back to Hiro’s room and he placed his hand on the door handle standing there for a few minutes mentally preparing himself for what he was no doubt going to see and he took a deep breath before walking inside and he felt his heart shatter at the sight. Tadashi laid there, his arms, chest, neck, and forehead covered in bandages as he had some kind of brace on his back as well as his neck and an iv in his hand that was taped down so it couldn’t be removed and lastly he had an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose.

Callaghan sat down next to the bed trying his best to be quiet so he didn’t wake Tadashi as he reached over gently taking his hand as he brushed his thumb over the backs of his fingers and he looked down a bit before looking up at the ceiling. “ alright big guy…..i’ve gone to your sermons….i’ve raised my daughter to believe in you…..now it’s your turn to do something for me….”, he said softly before he rested his head in his arm on the bed as he continued clutching Tadashi’s hand like it were his life line. All that was left to do was wait.


	4. Healing is a slow but hopeful process

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Tadashi now a handicapped he begins facing doubts and fears of Callaghan leaving him for someone else, meanwhile Hiro is hiding a little secret of his own with a certain CEO

When the news came about the damage to Tadashi’s spine, it had been just as bad as everyone thought it would be. The force of the impact from the other car along with the airbag had completely crushed his spine and while they said they could replace it with a metal rod, the cost was just too high and Tadashi declined. Even though it hurt that he was never going to be able to walk again, he wasn't about to let his family take out such a large amount of money just for him when they needed it more and that night after everyone left for the evening Tadashi laid in bed staring at the ceiling as he began imagining the rest of his life in a wheelchair. 

He wouldn't be able to walk down the aisle at his own wedding not to mention when he moved in with Callaghan he knew it would have to be a single level house without any stairs inside or outside, he would need him to carpool him around places, but slowly a darkened thought began surfacing. What if Callaghan got tired of having to take care of him all the time? What if he left Tadashi to find someone who wasn't a cripple who would need help all the time? But Tadashi shook his head trying to supress the thought. Robert Callaghan was not that kind of man and he knew that he would never leave him.

A few days had passed by before Tadashi had gotten permission to leave his room and if he had to be honest, even the hallways were better to see and he took this opportunity to go visit Hiro but when he got to his little brother’s room he stopped when he saw it was open a small bit and when he peeked in his eyes widened. There was his little brother in the arms of Alistair Krei as the two were sharing a loving embrace as the older man planted a small kiss on Hiro’s cheek making the teen giggle a bit and Tadashi knocked on the door trying to pretend that he hadn’t seen what he had just seen after all there was no way that his smart little brother would think about falling for a selfish jerk like alistair krei, right?

 

After hearing Hiro say the door was open Tadashi wheeled himself in and almost immediately the teen’s face lit up as he smiled upon seeing his older brother up and out of bed and he climbed out of his own bed rushing over as the two hugged each other tightly and Tadashi took this moment to look at Krei with a cold hard glare which in turn made the man shift a bit and he told Hiro that he would call him later saying something about having a meeting he needed to get to but Tadashi didn’t care, he just wanted the sleazy man gone so he could have some privacy with his brother and the two brothers watched him quickly leave shutting the door behind him. 

“ you know it's rude to eavesdrop dashi “, Hiro bluntly stated and Tadashi sighed knowing that there was no way he was going to lie his way out of this conversation and Hiro walked back over to his bed sitting down on it as he swung his legs a bit watching as Tadashi wheeled himself over as well.   
“ ok well one it wasn’t eavesdropping and two what were you doing all cuddled up with Krei of all people Hiro? “, Tadashi asked and Hiro huffed as he crossed his arms almost pouting like a little kid. “ one, yes it was eavesdropping and two what i was doing with Alistair isn’t really any of your business Tadashi. “, he said taking Tadashi by surprise with the tone that just came out of his little brother. “ Hiro i’ve told you this almost a thousand times before, Alistair Krei is not meant to be trusted, he’s a sleazy manipulative loan shark who doesn’t care about anything other than money”, Tadashi said and Hiro scoffed. 

“ Alistair isn’t like that at all, he’s really kind and he cares alot about me dashi, but i bet you wouldn’t know that at all because your teacher told you all that stuff huh? “, Hiro asked looking at his older brother and Tadashi looked down a bit. Yes it was true he had believed Robert when he had told him all of this after the two men ended up having some kind of fallout and Tadashi had gone by his words and slowly started developing a hate for the CEO but when he looked at Hiro again he saw that the boy looked so sure of himself when he said how caring and kind the man was.   
But Tadashi knew how this was all going to play out and he knew deep down that the only way for Hiro to learn was to just let it happen and he sighed. “ ok ok, look i won’t bother you about being in a relationship with Krei but….just promise me Hiro you won’t let him hurt you or take advantage of you in any way? “ Tadashi asked and Hiro sat there for a minute silent before he nodded and the two hugged each other again before deciding to head down to the cafeteria for some much needed lunch and while the two ate together, again that nasty little thought from the night before began to resurface and he swallowed his food staring down at his plate. Hiro must have noticed this as he asked his brother if something else was bothering him and he listened as Tadashi shared the dark and depressing thoughts he had been having to his little brother knowing that it was easier to talk to him about it than with Robert himself. 

“ Tadashi, there’s no way that’s ever going to happen. The professor loves you more than robotics and science itself and I know for a fact that he’s not going to just up and leave you because of you being in a wheelchair, and besides if it does start becoming too much work we can always think about the surgery. “, Hiro said smiling as he held his brother’s hand and Tadashi smiled a bit as well back at his little brother knowing that he was right. Robert loved him and he knew that this whole handicapped thing was just an obstacle for them to try and get over together and he knew that so long as he had his family and friends there with him, they would be able to.


End file.
